militarism

For many people these days, much 'religion' has become synonymous with division, bigotry and violence. Sadly, there is plenty of good evidence that this is so. But it is not the whole picture. There are very strong faith traditions that point in exactly the opposite direction.

Goshen College, a prominent Mennonite liberal arts institution, has reversed its decision to play the militaristic and nationalistic US national anthem at sports events. Andy Alexis-Baker welcomes the move, after a long process of lobbying which he and others led. Never before have so many Christians - and not just Mennonites or other Anabaptists - stated so clearly that these anthems and rituals have no place in Christian formation, he observes.

The incongruity appeared to raise little comment. At a wedding - perhaps one of the most tender of human ceremonies in its manifestation of love and hope - all the principal male figures wore the uniforms of forces whose business is armed conflict.

"Sex and violence" is a hot-button phrase that if often used without thinking. But what do sex and violence really have to do with one another? Christians should be untangling the connection between them, but instead we seem to be contributing to the confusion.

The military use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, has risen sharply over the last decade, says Amy Hailwood. The growing use of robotic weapons is taking us down a dark trajectory, and yet it is happening with almost no public debate.

As the Tory and Labour leaders prepare nervously for the second round of head-to-head combat tonight, there can be little doubt that they both plan to take advantage of the foreign policy focus of the debate by attacking the Liberal Democrats’ policy on Trident.

The government is facing criticism for the narrow range of its Defence Review, which was presented in a Green Paper in the House of Commons yesterday. Campaigners say that it ignores fundamental questions about security and conflict.

Canada's military says it plans as soon as possible to remove references [to] phrases from the Bible citations inscribed on some of its firearm sights that have whipped up a storm of controversy - officially and among church peace advocates.